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lenovox1

Member
Oct 26, 2017
8,995
From the Netherlands: smoke weed in public. Put mayonaise on fries.

And something that's apparently weird; you can buy soft contact lenses in pharmacies here. In the US you can buy all sorts of potentially dangerous stuff (according to my doctor friend who travelled with me) but harmless soft contacts? Nope.

They must be prescribed by an optometrist or opthalmologist, but can be purchased at most optometrist or optician offices. You can also get samples from an optician before being prescribed, theoretically. In reality, most places will make you do a fitting where the sample will then be provided.
 
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Hypron

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,059
NZ
France:
*Topless beaches (pretty much anywhere)
*Bath soap tv ads at general audience time (I wonder if Obao is still around?)
*Friend of friend or relative hugging you and giving you 3 pecks on the cheek when you might barely know them, if at all (specially in the south)
*"Con" (moron) et "Putain" (whore) used as non-insults in the south

Tbh the exact number of kisses varies through the country from 2 to 4, and I think the order can also change (left right or right left) lol. I've lived in the East and Centre and the norm was 2 there.

I have to say that bluntness is more something I associate with some European countries, than America.

Yeah Americans, and just people from English speaking countries in general aren't typically blunt, unless your only point of reference is like Japanese people.
 
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TaySan

SayTan
Member
Dec 10, 2018
31,437
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Arizona: people walking around open carry with guns is a common sight. Seeing signs riddled with bullet holes. Definitely an eye opener for me.
 

Fliesen

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,254
To be fair, this shit is leaving. Way too slowly, but it's becoming more rare.

You know why we got FlachspĂĽlers, btw? Supposedly to make detecting parasites easier.
Absolutely.
Hospitals also have FlachspĂĽlers.
Friends of ours, who built an all new house, had one FlachspĂĽler installed in one of the two bathrooms, because their daughter has celiac disease (serious gluten intolerance) and they sometimes need to take stool samples.

Still, they're a pain in the butt to keep clean.
 

Metalgus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,087
In Canada, you cannot sell alcohol directly inside a grocery store or convenience store. They can only be sold in separate liquor stores.

I've never really thought much about this until I took my friends to Hong Kong where beer is pretty much sold everywhere that food is sold and they made a huge fuss about it.

Oh I assure you in Québec beer and wine are widely available at the dépanneur and the épicerie from 8:00 to 23:00.

Source: me, a recovering alcoholic from Québec.
 

Deleted member 4783

Oct 25, 2017
4,531
Chile is full of alcoholics. I've yet to meet a foreigner who isn't impressed/scared of the amount of alcohol we drink here.
 

Bengraven

Member
Oct 26, 2017
26,829
Florida
There is actually non sexualised nudity (Finland). Have seen my family members nude (both genders) frequently since I remember because of sauna culture and to me there is nothing weird about this but it seems in many countries this would be somehow perverse.

Yeah this would never fly in America. Especially if adults were to see underage kids nude that don't belong to them. You can get killed for that in some counties I've lived in.

I used to let my son walk around nude after a bath in a home full of family and my nutty mother in law freaked out that he was going to make his uncles start to desire young flesh or some shit.
 

Gakidou

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,612
pip pip cheerio fish & chips
Another brit here:

- Being really polite to people you dont like and really, REALLY rude to your best friends. Like sounding like you're about to fight them. I guess it's actually kind of like being tsundere.
- It's not ok to make fun of other nationalities EXCEPT people within the british isles, so english/welsh/irish/scottish where people near constantly make fun of your heritage and accent, the idea being its not really punching down if you're a non-contentious minority whos not really considered "foreign"?
- its cool to be working class, everyone pretends they're poorer than they are and you lose a certain credibility if you can't convince everyone you actually buy tesco basics custard creams and not shortbread delivered from harrods by your butler like a posh wanker
- sometimes, dinner is lunch. tea is dinner. pudding is dessert. anything in pastry is a pie. pizza is not a pie.
- 20-30 year old guys hug each other. a lot! Especially london lads.
- we like to draw dicks on everything, everywhere. Whatever you can get away with. Also, everything is slang for genitals. You just have to say something in the right tone and now its innuendo. weyy
- If you are clumsy in a quiet public place you might attract an ironic round of applause.
- in spite of being a self-proclaimed 'progressive' country we have surprisingly on-the-nose sexist marketing that's meant to be sortof-ironic. Like "BUY THESE CRISPS: THEY'RE FOR MEN ONLY. NO GIRLS!!!"
- its not weird to just randomly start complaining about the weather to strangers.
- saying "cheers" and "ta" instead of "thanks"
- popping on a tye dye wizard cape and wellies and drinking cider in a 13th century graveyard
 

FliX

Master of the Reality Stone
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
9,871
Metro Detroit
Good point. While sauna culture is a far cry from Finland (obviously), mixed saunas are pretty common in Germany (and Austria) and it's generally frowned upon to wear any sort of clothing there.
One of the things I really miss since moving to the US, you cannot find a proper sauna/spa here to save your life.
 

Orayn

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,957
Minnesotans are too polite to zipper merge and our traffic suffers for it.

We also try to be polite by putting a bunch of qualifiers in front of everything and it makes us sound very indecisiveness.
 

Deleted member 17402

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,125
In Russia many foreigners are surprised to see such "cold" faces when at the supermarket, a ticket booth, etc. But it's part of the culture to not smile for strangers. Meanwhile I go to the US and am led off by those giant, fake smiles accompanied by HIIII HOW ARE YOU TODAY SIR at cashiers.
This is so annoying. You chalk up looking like a jerk to being the culture in Russia, but instead of chalking up politeness as the culture here in the US, you claim it's fake. Surprise: Not everyone working customer service is miserable or smiling because the grim reaper is forcing their mouth apart.
 

Garjon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,998
UK: speeding. Almost everyone drives over the speed limit, particularly away from residential areas and especially on motorways
 

Deleted member 4247

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,896
We don't talk to neighbors.

You ALWAYS take your shoes off in someone's home. It's not something you ask or are told about, you just do it.

Sweden
 

Mupod

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,875
I don't know about my entire country but I've lived my whole life in Ontario Canada and asking someone what their heritage/background is, is the most common normal-ass conversation I can think of. But I've seen multiple threads here where people take it as incredibly insulting.
 

Starviper

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,431
Minneapolis
One of the funniest things to me visiting Japan was that you cannot smoke outside, as it's against the law, but is allowed indoors within bars and some arcades / pachinko parlors. In most US states nowadays smoking outdoors is fine, indoors is not allowed.

Along the same lines, drinking in public is A-OK in Japan, but not allowed in most states here in America.
 

Deleted member 30544

User Requested Account Closure
Banned
Nov 3, 2017
5,215
I believe that if a foreigner comes to Mexico and see some northern idiots protesting agains ilegals entering the country will be like "DAFUQ"
 

FliX

Master of the Reality Stone
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
9,871
Metro Detroit
Every foreigner I've met remarks on how casually people speed here
I mean one big difference is most countries with speeding cameras shoot you from the front, not the back so you basically have no time to preempt that photo from being taken. In the UK you see the cameras, have loads of time to slow down before passing it and being in danger of being caught on camera from behind...
 

supernormal

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
3,147
You can drink and drive in my country. Like there's literally big establishments (not secret shady places) that sell opened drinks out of a drive-through window. It's fairly common to go on the road with drinks, usually beers. Nobody will make a big fuss about it. Cops will probably stop you for something completely different, see the drinks in your car and not pay any mind to them.
 

Futureman

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,403
You can drink and drive in my country. Like there's literally big establishments (not secret shady places) that sell opened drinks out of a drive-through window. It's fairly common to go on the road with drinks, usually beers. Nobody will make a big fuss about it. Cops will probably stop you for something completely different, see the drinks in your car and not pay any mind to them.

Where?
 

Distantmantra

Member
Oct 26, 2017
11,156
Seattle
Germany here and we sometimes use a natural flavoring that's pretty unique to this country: Waldmeister (engl: Woodruff or Wild Baby's Breath). We sometimes add that flavor to wine, juice punch, beer, jelly, jam, soda, ice cream, tea, eatable paper and pretty much every existing variation of candy. It also works as a moth deterrent.

It's kinda hard to describe the flavor because it's something between lemon, gummy bears and mint and comes always in a green color.

Woodruff syrup is pretty common at American craft breweries due to Berlinerweisse catching on in popularity.
 

DrewFu

Attempted to circumvent ban with an alt-account
Banned
Apr 19, 2018
10,360
You can drink and drive in my country. Like there's literally big establishments (not secret shady places) that sell opened drinks out of a drive-through window. It's fairly common to go on the road with drinks, usually beers. Nobody will make a big fuss about it. Cops will probably stop you for something completely different, see the drinks in your car and not pay any mind to them.
Where the hell is this?
 

supernormal

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
3,147
Where the hell is this?

The Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean.

Edit:
There's a huge drinking culture in my country. Especially beer and rum. The biggest company in the country is a beer company which basically funds a whole bunch of stuff. I mean they're not really encouraging to drink and drive, but it's basically part of the culture. Same as drinking in public open places.
 

Kizuna

Member
Oct 27, 2017
550
No seasoning on food besides, uh, salt?
It's really, really, really plain. And pretty much everyone likes that. To most Russians mustard and horseradish are the spiciest things ever and they dare not to try and get any, you know, pepper Oh, and many seem to believe that eating any spicy food is a direct path to gastric ulcer. A tiny bit of jalapeño gets food labelled "Ultrra Spicy" on the restaurant menu. God knows you can't find anything decently spicy in Moscow, outside of ordering stuff from abroad or growing your own peppers.

And no smiles on the street or on public transport, ever. But I kinda like that about the place. I mean, I don't know those people surrounding me, and I'm pretty sure I don't like them and that this feeling is shared among everyone locked in the subway car - so why the hell would I fake being happy about our brief encounter?
 

Tomasoares

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,527
Brazil:

-> Lunch is the main meal of the day, which usually happens at midday. We usually don't care too much about breakfast, and diner depends on the family. (but usually, unless it's a big deal, like an anniversary or a celebration, we just eat a burger, pizza or something smaller and quick).

-> We lock the doors to use the bathroom.

-> Toalet papers doesn't go to the toilet, but in a trash can beside it.

-> Drinking is very common in public.

-> Kissing in the cheek, hugging, shaking hands are also very, very common to greet a friend here.

-> We receive our salaries only in the end (or beginning) of the month.

-> We are not only paid when we take vacations, but also we receive 40% more of our usual salary in the month. Also, we have an additional 13th salary during the year that we receive beyond the normal 12 ones. (only valid if we have a formal work, of course)

-> To buy something with a credit/debit card here, usually you need to put your password. (unless you use some of these very richy cards)

-> Sharing the same glass of water/beer between friends is also very common around here.

-> In some regions, pissing in public is also (unfortunately) common. People throw lots of trash in the streets.

-> People here in florianĂłpolis hate spicy food.
 
Oct 27, 2017
7,409
In Canada, you cannot sell alcohol directly inside a grocery store or convenience store. They can only be sold in separate liquor stores.

I've never really thought much about this until I took my friends to Hong Kong where beer is pretty much sold everywhere that food is sold and they made a huge fuss about it.
This isn't true anymore. Grocery stores in Ontario sell beer and wine now.
 
Apr 10, 2018
214
Hospitals also have FlachspĂĽlers.
Friends of ours, who built an all new house, had one FlachspĂĽler installed in one of the two bathrooms, because their daughter has celiac disease (serious gluten intolerance) and they sometimes need to take stool samples.
Another brit here:

- Being really polite to people you dont like and really, REALLY rude to your best friends. Like sounding like you're about to fight them. I guess it's actually kind of like being tsundere.
- It's not ok to make fun of other nationalities EXCEPT people within the british isles, so english/welsh/irish/scottish where people near constantly make fun of your heritage and accent, the idea being its not really punching down if you're a non-contentious minority whos not really considered "foreign"?
- its cool to be working class, everyone pretends they're poorer than they are and you lose a certain credibility if you can't convince everyone you actually buy tesco basics custard creams and not shortbread delivered from harrods by your butler like a posh wanker
- sometimes, dinner is lunch. tea is dinner. pudding is dessert. anything in pastry is a pie. pizza is not a pie.
- 20-30 year old guys hug each other. a lot! Especially london lads.
- we like to draw dicks on everything, everywhere. Whatever you can get away with. Also, everything is slang for genitals. You just have to say something in the right tone and now its innuendo. weyy
- If you are clumsy in a quiet public place you might attract an ironic round of applause.
- in spite of being a self-proclaimed 'progressive' country we have surprisingly on-the-nose sexist marketing that's meant to be sortof-ironic. Like "BUY THESE CRISPS: THEY'RE FOR MEN ONLY. NO GIRLS!!!"
- its not weird to just randomly start complaining about the weather to strangers.
- saying "cheers" and "ta" instead of "thanks"
- popping on a tye dye wizard cape and wellies and drinking cider in a 13th century graveyard
This all sounds really fun and cool, tbh
 
Oct 27, 2017
7,409
For Canada, even prior to legalization all my foreign friends (especially Aussies, Brits, and Scandinavians) were shocked at how often and how casually Canadians smoked weed. It was never something I even thought about until I started working with people from other countries.
 

cvxfreak

DINO CRISIS SUX
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
945
Tokyo
I live in Japan (but am American), so:

- Slurping noodles very loudly in public
- Taking off shoes in cafes or fast food restaurants when spending long periods of time there
- Sleeping in said cafes/fast food restaurants
- Nose picking in public
 

MCN

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
2,289
United Kingdom
Another brit here:

- Being really polite to people you dont like and really, REALLY rude to your best friends. Like sounding like you're about to fight them. I guess it's actually kind of like being tsundere.
- It's not ok to make fun of other nationalities EXCEPT people within the british isles, so english/welsh/irish/scottish where people near constantly make fun of your heritage and accent, the idea being its not really punching down if you're a non-contentious minority whos not really considered "foreign"?
- its cool to be working class, everyone pretends they're poorer than they are and you lose a certain credibility if you can't convince everyone you actually buy tesco basics custard creams and not shortbread delivered from harrods by your butler like a posh wanker
- sometimes, dinner is lunch. tea is dinner. pudding is dessert. anything in pastry is a pie. pizza is not a pie.
- 20-30 year old guys hug each other. a lot! Especially london lads.
- we like to draw dicks on everything, everywhere. Whatever you can get away with. Also, everything is slang for genitals. You just have to say something in the right tone and now its innuendo. weyy
- If you are clumsy in a quiet public place you might attract an ironic round of applause.
- in spite of being a self-proclaimed 'progressive' country we have surprisingly on-the-nose sexist marketing that's meant to be sortof-ironic. Like "BUY THESE CRISPS: THEY'RE FOR MEN ONLY. NO GIRLS!!!"
- its not weird to just randomly start complaining about the weather to strangers.
- saying "cheers" and "ta" instead of "thanks"
- popping on a tye dye wizard cape and wellies and drinking cider in a 13th century graveyard

I've never felt more proud to be British than when reading this post.
 

gcwy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,685
Houston, TX
In Russia many foreigners are surprised to see such "cold" faces when at the supermarket, a ticket booth, etc. But it's part of the culture to not smile for strangers. Meanwhile I go to the US and am led off by those giant, fake smiles accompanied by HIIII HOW ARE YOU TODAY SIR at cashiers.
How do you know their smiles are fake? Could be just having a good day. I don't smile back at people with an RBF.
 

Shugdaddy

Member
Dec 1, 2017
95
My biggest take away is that in most countries insulting people you know as greeting and just regular chat is the done thing. As it should be.